Before co-creating the Emmy-winning "Avatar: The Last Airbender," Michael Dante DiMartino was involved in early episodes of "Family Guy." At the start of his career, DiMartino worked at the animation studio Film Roman for some time. He acted as a director, animator, and storyboard artist on adult animated series such as "King of the Hill," "The Simpsons," "Mission Hill," and, most prominently, "Family Guy" (via AV Club). In fact, DiMartino would go on to direct six episodes of the Seth Macfarlane-created animated sitcom from 1999 to 2002. Co-creator Bryan Konietzko had a similar background, working as a storyboard artist and character designer on "Family Guy" and other Film Roman productions.
"Avatar: The Last Airbender" has seen an increase in popularity over the past few years following its inclusion on Netflix in the midst of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The streamer also announced plans for a live-action "Last Airbender" series that promises to be more faithful to the animated series than the 2010 M. Night Shyamalan film adaptation, which was reviled by critics when it was released. Despite this, DiMartino and Konietzko, who were initially brought on as showrunners, chose to step away from the show following creative differences. The duo launched Avatar Studios, a company with the intention of creating new projects within the franchise, with their first project intended to be an animated feature film (via Deadline).
